Django Anniversary 2010Django Anniversary 2010
• Django Reinhardt Anniversary European Tour 2010
• Ten leading cultural venues
• A social, political and cultural celebration and investment
Historic and cultural background
In 2010 we are celebrating that European jazz giant Django Reinhardt was born 100 years ago. The music he created with his Hot Club de France and co-star Stephane Grappelli has become the quintessential sountrack to a romanticized image of Paris between the wars - burlesque and decadent, yet with a touch of melancholy. Digging beneath the surface it soon becomes clear that this uniquely expressive music is the soundtrack to a challenged and marginalised society. To this day, Django’s music expresses the soul of his people, the Sinti Gypsies.
To look back over the history of the European gypsies, exploring the cultures and music styles they have assimilated, is a facinating 1000-year journey. The musical culmination of this rich heritage took place in Django Reinhardt’s playground Paris. Russian musicians performed in the cabarets, Spanish flamenco musicians in the clubs, Argentinian Tango musicians in cafés and ballrooms, and the swinging triplets of Duke Ellington and American jazz crossed the Atlantic in the form of vinyl and radiowaves. Les chansonniers françaises, among them Edith Piaf and Yves Montand, sang sentimental ballads over improvised gipsy harmonies, classical composers such as Maurice Ravel took inspiration from jazz and gypsy music and Francis Poulenc was inspired by the music of the café and the street. In the other direction, Django Reinhardt was deeply influenced by developments in classical music – not least Edvard Grieg’s romanticized treatment of folk melodies. Paris was a giant melting pot of cultures all of which were filtered through Django Reinhardt into his highly expressive form of European jazz.
© Maja Daniels / Foreningen Christianssand String Swing
The contrast between the poor conditions in Django Reinhardt’s gipsy camp at Port de Clichy on the outskirts of the city and the glamorous nightlife in the centre is reflected in his music. During the 2nd World War Django was deeply affected by the atrocities carried out against thousands of his fellow gypsy musicians. Like his forefathers Django juggled a desire to amaze and entertain with the need to reflect his own and his people’s challenges in his art. This diversity makes his music virtuosic and popular but profound and sincere at the same time.
The European Jazz scene underwent a revival in the 1980s. Django´s musical spirit lives on as vibrantly in today´s Sinti societies strewn throughout Europe as on the "Legends of Jazz" CD for sale at your local post office. Festivals in his honour are held in over 50 countries, and committed "hot jazz" musicians keep Django´s music alive from New York to Tokyo to Kristiansand.
The Sinti gypsies are, not surprisingly, extremely proud of their musical heritage and the celebration of Django’s genius takes on almost religious proportions. Behind walls, in ghetto-like camps primarily in The Netherlands where government support is readily available, you will find guitars - not footballs - lying on the streets and beetween the caravans. Ask a 5 year old gypsy kid to play “Minor Swing” and he will pick up an instrument and play the caracteristic opening to this famous Django tune.
An introduction to this society can be seen by clicking this link to a pilot we made a few years build on the famous guitarist and descendant of Django, Jimmy Rosenberg
Django’s dream - Django Symphonique
Django Reinhardt showed a growing interest for art music throughout his career. Despite his poor reading and writing skills – he was in fact illiterate - he left behind a significant number of distinguished compositions which
he dreamed of performing in a ”symphonic” setting. More than one of his fingerprint compositions was originally written with a symphonic sound in mind. With one exception, a performance of Django´s Bolero complementing Ravel´s famous composition of the same name, his symphonic ambitions were never realised...until 2005.
On behalf of our organisation and Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, endorsing an idea of musician Jon Larsen, the talented swedish arranger Per Ekdahl orchestrated ten of Django Reinhardt´s compositions for symphony orchestra. Given the ambitious task, a posthumous fulfillment of Django Reinhardt´s lifelong dream, the requirement was quality in every detail; his most memorable tunes were carefully studied, Django´s original harmonisations laid the foundation for Per Ekdahl´s inspired orchestration. The final concert in 2005, called “Symphonic Django/Django Symphonique”, was documented in a HD/DVD production with Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra featuring the remarkable soloists Florin Niculescu and Stochelo Rosenberg. Since then the concert has been presented at Theatre des Champs Elysees, Paris, Cirque d’ Hiver, Paris, Victoria Hall, Geneva and Auditorium, Lyon and Agder Teater, Kristiansand with different symphony orchestras and a variety of soloists.
Watch Django Symphonique on national Norwegian news by clicking the Youtube icon below
The project – DJANGO ANNIVERSARY 2010
The concept has opened doors to extraordinary concert halls throughout the world. Django’s name is world renowned. Symphony orchestras facing ever-increasing challenges to reach out to new and broader audiences are hungry for crossover projects with substance. In the light of this we are preparing for a tour to celebrate the 100th birthday of Django. Our aim is not only to stage the concert at 10 prominent venues throughout Europe but also to present the concerts in their cultural and historic context, presenting ”Django Symphonique” as part of a wider ”Django Anniversary” in order to reach new and diverse audiences.
Art and music lie at the core of every society and can be used as a means of bringing about social change. There are increasing numbers of examples of cultural activities being used to break down barriers, to aid co-operation and to communicate ideas across both real and hypothetical boundaries and borders. Culture can be used as a tool for sustainable development with focus on reducing poverty, both financial and intellectual, as an aid to integration and as a means of addressing the challenges of a multi-cultural society. By focusing on the positive aspects of the gyspy community and its rich culture we can initiate a two-way raising of awareness and understanding. To bring gypsy culture out of relative isolation and into some of the most important cultural centres of Europe will set a positive focus on a people who have been marginalized in European society for centuries. On the other hand, by focusing on the most creative aspects of gypsy culture, we can contribute to an increased self-respect and confidence.
We would like to organize a network of organisations and people to help contribute to the Django Anniversary and to the above stated cause, and will work with them to develop different activities surrounding the concerts. As a starting point we picture the following:
• 10 symphonic concerts in 10 different venues - DJANGO SYMPHONIQUE
• 10 club concerts in 10 different venues – The DJANGO Anniversary Sessions
• Educational programmes focusing on gypsy history and culture – workshops and school materials
• Media campaign – TV/radio/newspaper/online – intervues, articles, reviews
• Audio/CD Release – DJANGO SYMPHONIQUE feat. spesially invited soloists
Our collaborator, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra has scheduled their tour in September-October 2010, but with other orchestras taking on the project this will be a 12-month event. Vest-Agder regional council and Innovation Norway will be taking part in the preparation of an application to EU in October 2010 and will be holding the project in cooperation with us. Our company, Kulturvogna AS, will function as contact point for what we hope will be a growing group of participants. For further information please refer to the enclosed attachements.
Kristiansand 30.03.2009
Gisle Sandvand
Project manager
